For purposes of mass-rearing fruit flies, nutrient intake through artificial diets is a challenge, artificial food content and processing should promote sufficient absorption and availability to ensure fly fitness. Bulking agents play an essential role in creating a quality diet, but its physical characteristics, such as particle size, may establish a better microenvironment for feeding and development. Currently, there is a lack of information about protein metabolism in mass-reared fruit flies. Therefore, we evaluated whether the particle size of the bulking agent affects the absorption and excretion of the proteins, as well as their effect on the life-history traits of Anastrepha obliqua. We determined the protein content of hemolymph and feces, as well as the presence of nitrogen end-products as indicators of their level of absorption in a diet elaborated with coarse and fine corn cob particles as a bulking agent. The bromatological composition showed that coarse particles increased the bioavailability and content of crude, digestible, and soluble protein for the diet and hemolymph protein of larvae alike. We found an inverse relationship between the protein content of the hemolymph and feces of the larvae. Ammonium was determined to be a product of the catabolism of proteins. Also, A. obliqua improved its development (yield and pupal weight) and fitness (adult emergence and flight ability) when larvae were reared on a coarse particle diet. In conclusion, a diet elaborated with a coarse bulking agent features increased protein bioavailability and nutritional quality, which, in turn, increases the life-history traits of A. obliqua.

中文翻译：

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大颗粒，最好的营养？斜实实蝇幼虫（双翅目：实蝇科）对蛋白质的吸收和排泄

为了大规模饲养果蝇，通过人工饮食摄入营养是一项挑战，人工食物含量和加工应促进充分吸收和可用性，以确保果蝇健康。填充剂在创造优质饮食方面发挥着重要作用，但其物理特性（如颗粒大小）可能会为喂养和发育建立更好的微环境。目前，缺乏关于大规模养殖果蝇蛋白质代谢的信息。因此，我们评估了填充剂的粒径是否影响蛋白质的吸收和排泄，以及它们对生活史特征的影响。斜线实蝇. 我们确定了血淋巴和粪便的蛋白质含量，以及氮终产物的存在，作为它们在以粗和细玉米芯颗粒作为填充剂的饮食中吸收水平的指标。微生物学成分表明，粗颗粒增加了日粮中粗蛋白、可消化蛋白和可溶性蛋白以及幼虫的血淋巴蛋白的生物利用度和含量。我们发现血淋巴的蛋白质含量与幼虫的粪便之间存在反比关系。铵被确定为蛋白质分解代谢的产物。还，A. obliqua当以粗颗粒饲料饲养幼虫时，其发育（产量和蛹重）和适应性（成虫出现和飞行能力）得到改善。总之，用粗填充剂精心制作的饮食具有增加蛋白质生物利用度和营养质量的特点，这反过来又增加了动物的生活史特征。A. obliqua.